Timbao and the Grace of God

Dumaguete: "The City of Gentle People" is a city of 100,000 facing the Pacific. It is located on the southeastern coast of the island of Negros Oriental in the central Philippines.

Today, we left the city on our way to Timbao, a small mountain community 40 minutes away by our LCP van. The paved road ended only 15 minutes into the trip.

The unpaved road that replaced it was strewn with rocks, pot holes and.....coconuts the size of small watermelons. No speed limit signs are necessary as the road winds and turns along the side of the mountain. Only the truly skilled and fearless need apply to navigate past the constantly changing hazards.

Those of us in the back of the van sat on 2 bench seats facing each other. A convenient hold bar that runs the inside roof of the van between the bench seats is the only safety we have. There are no seat or shoulder belts, no airbags and little hope of a quick rescue if our driver falters.

Some time later, a clearing appears out of the foliage. Small tin roofed houses form a semi-circle at the edge of the clearing. The center building is larger than the others and that is our destination: the Timbao pre-school.

Many of the residents of Timbao are gathered there awaiting our arrival and we are made to feel very welcome.



Inside the building, there are approximately 15 pre-schoolers. With them is their teacher, a slender, graceful woman named Florita.


Florita has been the pre school teacher at Timbao for many years.
Her home is a 30 minute walk, uphill, from the school. In the recent past, she has lost her husband to cancer and has battled kidney problems but she moves among the children with a gentle, loving movement that reminds me of Audrey Hepburn. Every child is visited and helped with the day's lessons. I have never seen a happier group of children in a classroom.




As we left Timbao, the thought came to me that, in this peaceful corner of the world, God is surely standing next to Florita in her classroom.

A time to leave

The time has come for me to leave Dumaguete. Those of you who know me, know that I am a New York cynic...born and raised. But I leave here with a heart so full of love that it will nourish me for the rest of my life. I took Maricar and her family out to dinner tonight and the love just filled the room.

I have seen the miracle that is Little Children of the Philippines (a part of Little Children of the World). I now know how just a dollar a day can alter a child's life.

Approximately $18 out of the $30 each month is given directly to the child via a bank account with LCP. The child uses it for school and travel expenses as well as food. There are also job opportunities for parents of sponsored children. They can see a doctor for 50 pesos a visit (about $1). Their family's spiritual needs are also met. There are church services held every week.

Spending a buck a day on lotto? Try spending it on a sponsored child. The odds are much better than lotto. You are a guaranteed winner. If you want to learn more about how easy it is to fill your heart with love, check out www.littlechildren.org.

A Fiddler on the Roof

"A fiddler on the roof. Sounds crazy, no? But in our little village of Dumaguete, you might say everyone of us is like a fiddler on the roof, trying to scratch out a pleasant tune without breaking his neck. It isn't easy."

This photo shows 3 on a motorbike. What you can't see is a 4th person, a young girl, perched behind her dad.

4 on a motorbike: as normal for Philippinos as 4 in a car is for us.

All fiddlers on the roof!

To OAOA:
The trip from Manila to Dumaguete, is on a 737. Only about 80 passengers. We traveled over several islands, some shrouded in clouds/fog. The airport at Dumaguete is a short runway (no 747's could do this one) and has an open air building for arriving passengers.

Why I came to Dumaguete

This is the 6 month old son of my sponsored child, Maricar Tano. This is why I am here. I have had an incredible day with Maricar and her family. Tomorrow is shopping day.

Shopping day is when you take your sponsored child to the supermarket to buy enough food to ensure the family's health for a while. We also will buy some clothing for Maricar's children.

The photo on the top is Maricar and her entire family. Maricar's mom is next to her. In the back row is her brother Ryan (on the left) and her husband Tomas with their oldest son, Tommy.

This photo has taken more than 8 years to complete. The joy I feel cannot be reproduced by a keyboard and a screen.

the thrilla getting to manila

Part 1. Halfway to Guam: Tuesday, 7/15 6:05 AM. According to my watch, that is the correct time, but that is LAX time. We are now somewhere over the Pacific. The cabin steward told me we were halfway to Guam. Halfway to Guam? Didn't Tony Orlando and Dawn record that song in 1961?

"You leave me half way to Guaaaam, so near yet so far away".

Maybe not.

I spent some quality time in the upper class lounge at LAX before boarding. My business class ticket was my entrance fee. Lots and lots of food and drink. Then we were served dinner on the flight to Manila. Salmon and cream cheese appetizer, steak Philippine style, more wine and fresh fruit and ice cream for dessert.

Forget weighing the luggage, airlines should weigh the passengers after all that food:

"Sorry, sir- after 3 danish and 4 other desserts, you are too heavy to remain onboard. Please put on our complimentary parachute and step to the doorway (seperate doorways for economy and business passengers)."

"Have a wonderful day sir." And then you are on your own at 37,000 feet lamenting that last danish as your body hurls toward the blue Pacific below.

Sorry, no photos tonight. Small camera glitch.

LAX

So I made it at least as far as LAX. I sat in the long aluminum tube with wings (American Airlines version) for 6 hours to get here. Now, in just 2 more hours, I take the 15 hour flight to Manila. Is this worth the travel time? Probably, but not at the moment. I have been up long enough to have that "grungy" feeling about me that a good shower would cure. No shower in sight, yet.

A journey of a thousand miles..........

Confucius is credited with the line: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step". What would he have said about my pending journey of 10,572 miles? This one began with an idea. An idea that a journey of such a length would satisfy the soul, or, even a more basic urge to wander.


I think both are appropriate. While I do love to travel, meeting the young lady I have been sponsoring for so long, seeing her and her family, and maybe just walking with her and listening to her thoughts and dreams would certainly satisfy my soul.


I am scheduled to meet Maricar and her family on the day after I arrive in Dumaguete. I have spent the last few weeks imagining that meeting. Maricar does speak limited English, but I thought a greeting in Cebuano would be a good ice breaker. I have learned how to say “Maayong hapon kainyong tanan”…..good afternoon to all of you.

I don’t know if she will bow, extend her hand to me, or accept a hug. Will the moment be awkward? What if we both freeze like deer in headlights? Will I stammer like Jackie Gleason did on “The Honeymooners” when Alice caught him in a lie?


I have been wished well, wished safe, wished strength, and wished Godspeed by all of my friends and relatives. Most of them probably walked away after the wishes thinking: “he must be nuts”.

I think not.

I think it is one of the sanest things I have ever done.


The jury is still out. Next: JFK to LAX and 7 hours later, on to Guam, Manila and Dumaguete.

Reality

The beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains, one of our national treasures. The National Park straddles North Carolina and Tennessee. On September 2, 1940, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt dedicated the park for "The permanent enjoyment of the people".

The park is visited by thousands each year. they hike, swim, bike and fish. There are evening campfire programs and guided tours. There is even a program where kids between 5 and 12 can become junior Park Rangers.

Dumaguete has it's own "Smokey Mountain", but, as you can see below, it is quite different. Their mountain is a dump where garbage is burned.

Photo: courtesy of Keiko Shimizu(c)"all copy rights reserved"- (thanks Keiko)

Many cities around the world have dumps similar to this, but this mountain has special visitors: children. They come to find discarded items that might be worth selling.

LCP* staffers look for these children. They offer them something better than the scavenger life.

I will soon be meeting the amazing staff at LCP.


*Little Children of the Philippines

Anticipation

When I was a kid in Brooklyn during the 1950's, anticipation played a big role in my life. At that time, television was not on the air 24/7. Stations signed off late at night with a prayer and the National Anthem. They usually signed back on at 7:00 A.M., with another prayer and another National Anthem. In between, the stations played test patterns. I usually awoke at 6:00 A.M. and turned on the t.v. to watch my favorite cartoons at 7, so I spent an hour of anticipation watching the test patterns.


Maricar: Then.....

Maricar (standing in the doorway). This was the first photo I received. She was 9 years old. Her mom and brother are also in the photo.


Switch channels to 2008 and anticipation is still with me. As of this writing (5/30/08 at 2100 hours) I have 46 days, 14 hours and 31 minutes until I begin the first leg of my 10,000 mile trip. No,I'm not well versed in calculus but I did find a website that actually counts down the time for me.

By this time, Maricar should have learned of my impending visit. Being a mother of two young children, I doubt that she has much time to dwell on anticipation, but I hope that she is looking forward to our meeting. My trip is a long one, but her trip probably is more difficult. She has a 2 1/2 hour trip over the mountains by bus from Santa Catalina to Dumaguete. I am told that during the monsoon season (May to October), the mountain roads often become impassable....and dangerous. Bus schedules are cancelled without notice because of the weather.


And now:


Maricar, aged 18, with her husband, Tomas and her 2 children.

Hope

(click on map to enlarge)

10,572 miles....One way.

I am about to begin a journey, the end of which is uncertain. I am going to a place I have never been before. I am going to meet a young woman I have never met before. I hope she will be glad to see me when we meet. I hope the monsoon rains there will hold off for 6 days. I hope the mosquitoes that carry Dengue fever will be busy elsewhere. I hope.

If you break down the distance of 10,572 miles into smaller parts, it sounds easier: New York to L.A.- 2500 miles, L.A. to Guam- 6,089 miles, Guam to Manila - 1599 miles and Manila to Dumaguete - 384 miles. Or, about a day and a half including stopovers.

8 years ago, my daughter volunteered with an organization called Little Children of the World (www.littlechildren.org). Their children's outreach progam, located in the central Philippine city of Dumaguete, is called Little Children of the Philippines. There she met a 9 year old girl named Maricar. I soon became her sponsor. Maricar is now 17 and has a family of her own. We have exchanged letters and photos over the years and, if everything goes as I hope, will finally meet each other.

The Visayans, or central Philippines

(click on map to enlarge)